It's a Kid Thing
by miikka-xx
Summary: In which Sasuke attempts to convert Hinata into his fangirl. And, ultimately, fails. Unrequited SasuHina. Kiddie fic. COMPLETE. Sequel up, called 'It's a Grown Up Thing'.
1. Chapter 1

**miikka-xx:** If there is one pairing I'm madly in love with it's SasuHina. If there's any scenario I'm also madly in love with, it's either kiddie fics or situation switches (Sasuke is Hinata's fanboy while all the other girls are his fangirls). I hope, as my first chapter, I've given this pairing justice. It's already been all typed out but I won't reveal you how many chapters. (Because I don't know how to split them without totally destroying the continuity while still maintaining cliff hangers) I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, no attractive male character would be wearing a shirt. Or clothes for that matter.  
**Title:** It's a Kid Thing  
**Rating: **K+  
**Pairings:** SasuHina (duh); one-sided SakuSasu, NaruSaku and InoSasu (also duh)  
**Words:** 1286 for this chapter.  
**Warnings:** Um, no spoilers really. Slight Sakura and Naruto bashing (because this is from Sasuke's POV anyways). Bashing is really from the POV. I assure you, it's for the ICness, NOT because of irrelevant opinions of the author(ess). Having said that, PLEASE ENJOY!

-X-

Sasuke's a pompous ass and Hinata doesn't know it. Unrequited SasuHina.

-x-

First day of the Academy sucked, in five-almost-six year old Sasuke's not-so-humble opinion. It was no wonder Itachi and the shadow-masked Kakashi had ditched this place as soon as possible. Then again, the girls back then probably weren't like what these _monsters_ were like. His big brother had mentioned in passing to their mother something about Sasuke not liking girls. Pfft. Darn _right_, he didn't like girls. It was almost his turn to go up to introduce himself to a class of jealous boys and drooling girls. Did girls their age even _know_ the definitions of handsome, cute and beautiful anyway?

Another girl pranced up, pink hair swinging back and forth to the front of the class. Maybe a cotton candy machine had exploded all over her when she was little and they could never get it out, mused the boy. A blonde kid in the corner cheered, his grin about to split his face in half. Idiot.

"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like flower-picking and hair ribbons and-" she went red as she looked in his general direction (Ahem, insert sigh here), "-a certain someone!" She ended with a fit of giggles, giving a shy wave to him. Sasuke suddenly disliked the general female population. And that cocky long-haired kid that _looked_ like a girl. God, what was He thinking giving the prettiest hair in the world to the cockiest _boy_ in the world?

To his displeasure, the _third_ girl in a row stumbled in front of the class, her eyes the same shade as the stupid gender-confused kid a year older the him. Of course, the difference was startling obvious. She had choppy, short hair (that looked of silk but that was beside the point), a rounder face and the prettiest eyelashes framing her lavender eyes.

"A-Ano, I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata..." she swallowed, face still resembling a cherry, "and I like g-gr-growing f-flowers and p-plants and-," her pale eyes traveled to the blabbing blonde _idiot_, "-and th-that's me!" she squeaked, flashing a weak smile. Some polite clapping and the next person walked to the front. Well, wasn't that exciting? Hinata pursed her lips and continued to stare at the boastful, dumb blonde as she slipped in her seat, quiet and quaint. Just like a proper Hyuuga.

Not that Sasuke cared, because being Sasuke, being an _Uchiha_ in general, he was gifted with skills, good looks and over-all coolness. And right now, his ego was being slowly being eaten away by a nagging feeling.

_"Why doesn't she like _me_?"_

-x-

Month 1, week 2 of class.

Lesson: Handsigns.

Hinata stuffed back her groan of displeasure down her throat. It wasn't polite (plus having the King of All Mannerisms EVER as your father that forced habits down your throat and expected you not to retch it right back out was but a bonus). And being constant partners with an intimidating Uchiha was even worse. He had a name: Sasuke, yes, but she preferred Naruto's 'duck-butt' or 'teme' as a more appropriate term, not that she'd ever say it, Hiashi forbid. Rarely did they have group projects and when they did, the Uchiha would battle the girls and grab her arm or wrist or her the back of her _head_ even, and loudly claim her as his partner.

...

Goodbye, Naruto.

"Hyuuga, that is _not_ how you do the tiger sign," Sasuke said, a bit annoyed. Hinata inclined her head, muttered an apology and looked at her interlaced hands. How did they do it again? She glanced shyly at Sasuke's hands and stared back at her own. Didn't he _know_ that she was being butchered by daggers shooting from girls' eyes? How the heck could she concentrate on making a sign when all her attention was to stop the bleeding pouring out the figurative stab wounds disguised as blushing and apologies and trying to be as _small as freaking possible_?

Sasuke sighed and picked at her fingers. Really, it wasn't that hard. He knew the long-haired cocky kid could do it, didn't the brat tell her anything? He skillfully interlaced them properly, ignoring how her hands shook when he touched them and how her face looked like a tomato with white eyes and bob-cut dark hair.

"There," Sasuke gave a small smirk of satisfaction of his work. As if Hinata was some clay that he had molded into something beautiful.

"Th-Thank you, U-Uchiha-san." Hinata quirked a smile, her wide eyes crinkling a bit.

Sasuke also tried to ignore the heat climbing up into his cheeks and the slight quickening of his heartbeat.

-x-

Month 2, week 3.

_"Get away from me!"_

Hinata cringed at the loud voice screeching in the courtyard. Sakura, no doubt. The girl, Hinata knew, was nice, pretty and smart. They were on amicable terms like Sakura was with everyone else... except Naruto. She clutched her bento box, head down and feet walking the familiar dirt path to the big tree abit away from the park.

The courtyard was on the west side of the school. It had a set of double doors where the kids would pour out. At the moment, since they were first-years, it was reserved all for them. This expanse of sand, gravel and a bit of forest area. To simplify the layout, it was but a circle split in half, the forest taking one half and the other filled with stones and sand. There was a path made by many trodden feet, most infamous was Kakashi. Even when the fangirls followed him, he would always disappear into the foliage. But that was another story.

Hinata followed the path into the forested area and found the large tree she liked. Brushing away stray leaves, the girl straightened her clothes and prepared to sit down. Her kimono would get dirty, she knew, from sitting against the tree but she'd clean it off as best as she could in the bathroom in their afternoon break. Sitting snugly against the big tree trunk with her legs tucked underneath her, Hinata popped open her lunch, and neatly snapped her chopsticks even if it did splinter a bit to one side. There, alone in the quiet (if she ignored Naruto's and Sakura's constant yelling in the distance), Hinata enjoyed her lunch.

Sasuke really couldn't help it. He liked watching her trying sit as neatly as possible on the dirt around the tree. _His_ tree. He had found this nice hiding spot away from the girls on a thick branch of the big tree covered with leaves. It was nice, even if a bit cool sometimes when the sun was hidden by the clouds.

He vaguely wondered if Hinata _knew_ that the tree was Sasuke's hiding spot and she was trying to impress him.

...

His ego got a bit bigger.

Unexpectedly, bento box empty and tucked neatly in her arm as if she was cradling a baby, Hinata fished out a badly cut-out heart and smiled with a blush enveloping her cheeks. She hurriedly made a hole with surprisingly experienced hands (from the gardening, Sasuke mused) and dropped the heart before covering it with dirt. The girl then hurried away.

A few minutes of silence and Sasuke jumped down, curiosity taking the better part of him. He fished out the paper heart that resembled more of a square with a dent and read the sloppy kanji.

_Naruto_

And he ripped it up.

-x-

Reviews are THOROUGHLY appreciated. If anyone has questions, I'll be willing to answer them through the "Reviewer Response" thingy. Constructive criticism is too awesome for me to understand but if you _really_ want to, go for it.

Both reviews and flames welcome.

S'ankyu!


	2. Chapter 2

**miikka-xx:** If there is one pairing I'm madly in love with it's SasuHina. If there's any scenario I'm also madly in love with, it's either kiddie fics or situation switches (Sasuke is Hinata's fanboy while all the other girls are his fangirls). I hope, as my first chapter, I've given this pairing justice. It's already been all typed out but I won't reveal you how many chapters. (Because I don't know how to split them without totally destroying the continuity while still maintaining cliff hangers) I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, no attractive male character would be wearing a shirt. Or clothes for that matter.  
**Title:** It's a Kid Thing  
**Rating: **K+  
**Pairings:** SasuHina (duh); one-sided SakuSasu, NaruSaku, InoSasu and HinaNaru (also duh)  
**Words:** 2119 for this chapter.  
**Warnings:** Hints of Neji's past but nothing explicit. In case, you're SO behind, you don't know. xD Slight Sakura and Naruto bashing (because this is from Sasuke's POV anyways). Bashing is really from the POV. I assure you, it's for the ICness, NOT because of irrelevant opinions of the author(ess). Having said that, PLEASE ENJOY!

-X-

Sasuke's a pompous ass and Hinata doesn't know it. Unrequited SasuHina.

-x-

Month 3, week 1.

Hinata was a bit miffed at her torn up heart and cried the night, with Neji glaring at the wall opposite him as she sobbed in his arm. She always wondered why he even put up with her when he was so cold. (Neji also wondered, on his side, if she had felt his fast heartbeat and the heat radiating in waves off of his body... not that that meant anything...). She got over it though, resolving to make a better heart with nicer kanji just like how the blonde always got back up and tried harder.

It still didn't stop the scary Uchiha kid dragging her around like a ragdoll in partner activities.

Hinata thought about herself, she looked at her reflection in the mirror all day once. Why did the scary Uchiha whisk her away all the time? Did he have some kind of obsession with short hair or maybe it was the freaky eyes? Did he just like grabbing her kimono sleeves (they _were_ pretty and silky to the touch) or dragging around shy girls? What the heck did the Sasuke even see in her?

On the other hand, Sasuke had taken it upon himself to call the annoying, blathering, blonde retard called Uzumaki Naruto, successor to local idiot, _dope_. He didn't care if it hurt the Hyuuga's feelings. It's not like he cared in the first place about her feelings anyways.

He had even checked with Itachi-aniki, and he was sure he agreed even though the older Uchiha had said some big word called 'denial'. Like Sasuke was supposed to know what _that_ meant, geez, aniki.

Neji had once asked Hinata why she had bruises on her arm and she had blushed fiercely, saying that it was from the activities. She then went a deeper shade of red when she remembered Neji knew that there was no physical training in the first year, only chakra control but her cousin didn't question her, only mumbling something about 'fanboys'.

...what exactly _were_ fanboys, anyways?

So here she was, with the scary Uchiha boy, trying to do a henge.

"That looks nothing like me," snapped Sasuke, glaring at the marshamallow with duck-butt hair. The henge, to put it nicely, was chubby, had wild dark hair and really bright, creepy grey eyes. Of course, that was to put it _nicely_.

"Er..." murmured Hinata, looking shame-facedly at her sandaled feet. She poofed back to her normal, small self and clutched her obi self-consciously. The boy sighed, pangs of guilt stabbing relentlessly at his (cold, frozen, winter wasteland-like) Uchiha heart.

"Just..." sighed Sasuke. The girl's bottom lip trembled and, before her partner knew it, she had burst into tears.

"S-s-s-sorry! I-I'm s-so sorry!" wailed Hinata as loud as her quiet voice could go. Sasuke really wanted the earth to swallow him up right then and there.

"N-No! Just, stop crying, will you!?" said the kid exasperatedly. Hinata bit her lip to hold back her sobs but all she did was shrink down into a little ball. She was so pathetic! She couldn't even do a stupid henge of a kid as cute as him! What kind of ninja would she be if she failed at this?!

"Look, um, I-I'm really sorry at getting, er, angry..." started Sasuke, his heart being continously shredded with guilt, "I-If it helps, er, I ...like you?" It had worked on all the other girls.

Hinata cried even harder.

-x-

Month 3, week 2.

"Since not many succeeded in henge-making, we'll do a partner project on chakra control to improve, alright?" said Iruka cheerily at his class of six (and almost six) year olds. They didn't react much. More like most of them held back their shrieks and groans because Iruka-sensei was the best sensei in the whole Academy and he was really, _really_ scary when he got angry.

"I will be making groups," the class burst into one big collective 'noooo', "yeees, now nobody move till I have said all the groups."

Sasuke hated Iruka-sensei on this one point. Group-making. He was decidedly horrible at it, pairing him up with idiots like the dope or pineapple-head claiming they needed 'all the help they could get'. And the one person he could tolerate was always with other idiots like 'flower-girl' and 'cotton-candy-head'. Was this fair?

Of course, it wasn't fair!

He wanted to be with Hyuuga, for god's sakes! Was it that hard for Iruka-sensei to comprehend that?! Was him yelling at the teacher that 'Hyuuga Hinata was his partner' and nobody else's for no good reason? Idiot teacher.

"Uchiha, Haruno," Sasuke choked back his scream, "and Hyuuga." Hinata choked back _her_ scream.

Narutoooo!

"Uzumaki, Yamanaka and Aburame."

She heaved a sigh at the loss of her crush and despondently dragged herself towards the pink-haired girl. It wasn't that she didn't like Sakura. Quite the opposite really, she admired Sakura for her kindness and open-minded attitude and how she always spoke her mind. If anything, Hinata wanted to be more like the pink-haired girl so she could defend Naruto without turning into a red, bubbling mass of embarrassment and shame at her pathetic stuttering.

"Kyah! Sasuke-kun! Finally! I get to be partners with you!" Sakura practically screeched in the poor boy's ear. Sasuke resisted the urge to punch something by the reminder of his own mother's screeching, telling him about manners and being polite to young ladies such as Haruno and Yamanaka.

Interesting how she never said 'Hyuuga'.

Hinata shuffled abit closer to the pair and forced a weak smile that could never really reach her eyes.

"Hello, Hinata-chan!" smiled Sakura, pulling the pale-eyed girl to sit beside her so that Sakura herself was between Sasuke and the other. In Sasuke's not-so-humble opinion, _he_ should've been sandwiched nicely between the banshee and his _only_ partner. He would not tolerate this hell, not with the screaming banshee. Then Hinata practically beamed at Sakura when they started a conversation. Okay, fine, he could live with it for _now_.

"Alright, everybody! The assignment is simple," Iruka announced," I will give you a square of dough and you must make an imprint of your hand using your chakra." He slid a tray with a square piece of dough and held his hand over it. Slowly, dents began to form in the dough and a perfect imprint of the sensei's hand appeared.

"Cool!" shouted the dope from the far corner of the class.

Sasuke glanced at the Hyuuga and noted, while ignoring any sort of weird emotion swirling in the pit of his stomach, that small smile that always reached her eyes and the pink blush that painted her round, pale cheeks. She never even smiled at him like _that_, fake or real for that matter. She was always concentrating on some part of the floor or her hands whenever he tried to talk to her. Was Sasuke really that repulsive? He doubted it. Receiving the dough, they set to work.

A few minutes into the project and a small voice spoke up:

"A-Ano... U-Uchiha-s-san... er..." The said boy's ears perked up and he looked past Sakura to the stammering girl.

"Yeah?"

"Er... w-what do you wh-when your d-d-done?" Hinata squeaked. What the heck was she doing? Asking the scary boy? She had tried talking to Sakura but the girl was too busy with her own dough, mumbling something like 'has to be perfect to show Sasuke-kun'.

Sasuke replayed her question in his head a few more times before he understood.

"You, Hyuuga, are done?" And a small tray slid into view, and a petite hand uniquely to Hinata was imprinted on the dough. Something was terribly wrong with this picture. Hyuuga was done _before_ the almighty _Uchiha_?

"Iruka-sensei! Hyuug-san is done!" Sasuke called, waiting for the fated sentence, _'Hyuuga-san, you just pressed your hand into the dough, not with chakra like you were told.'_

It never came.

"Good job, Hinata-chan! Now, why don't you help your group!"

"H-Hai. Th-thank you, Iruka-s-sensei."

How dare he! A teacher calling her that! _Hinata-chan!_ How inappropriate!

"A-Ano, Uchiha-s-s-san... y-you're h-h-hand..." That's when he noticed it was clenched in a fist.

-x-

Month 4, week 1.

Today was the first time Sakura had tried to kiss him. Running around stupidly, she had tripped on a rock and fell on Sasuke, noses touching, her hair mixing with his, a shock of pink and black together like really badly mashed liqourice (you know, the cherry and the black one). That's when things got ugly. Sakura had gotten a strange gleam in her eye, and puckered her lips, leaning in way too close for comfort.

Then there was a thud.

Hinata, being ever oblivious to everything around her (except at partner time, where she was getting faster and faster at dodging Uchiha boy's grabbing hands, though eventually he always, somehow, succeeded), had tripped over the two's entangled feet, spilling her lunch (Tuesday's rice, sushi rolls, soy sauce and green-grass inprinted chopsticks-- Sasuke was watching her _way too close_, he realized) all over the dirt.

"Kyah! Hinata-chan!" Sakura screeched with worry (in Sasuke's face as well), "Sorry, sorry! I'm so sorry!" Hinata's big, pale eyes shined with unshed tears as she sadly grabbed her bento box and what was left in it and tucked it familiarly in her arm.

"I-It's okay, S-S-Sakura-chan..." With that, the girl ran (more like stumbled, in Sasuke's opinion) off.

"Cheh, stupid," scoffed the boy, as he rolled away from under the pink-haired girl and walked (strided; he liked to think he _strided_) back into the school.

A few minutes later, Sasuke was back with a blue bento box in his hands, walking down the dirt path instinctively. He found Hinata sniffling at the tree and cradling her own spoiled lunch like _it_ was the one crying. God, why was she so damn nice all the time?! He'd have to show her how to stand up for herself one day seeing as the adrogynous cousin _failed_ at it.

"Ne, Hyuuga, here," he called, and he thrust his own neatly packed lunch (sliced tomatoes, octopus balls and some spring rolls with dip) in front of her face.

"O-Oh! U-Uchiha-san!" she squeaked, blinking back her tears, "I-I couldn't! Th-This is _your_ lunch!" Sasuke scoffed again and roughly grabbed her box and replaced it with his own.

"There, now we both have a lunch." Then the girl in front of him did something unexpected.

She looked right into his intimidating black eyes, and smiled. It wasn't that weak pathetic smile, or the small smile reserved just for stupid blondes. It was a honest-to-goodness smile that you make before laughing, with her eyes crinkling at the sides, and the lavender orbs shinin- no, _twinkling_ at him.

And Sasuke felt so warm inside that he vaguely wondered if Naruto ever felt like this when she smiled at _him_.

-X-

Wooo, alright, SECOND CHAPTER IS UP.

About the chakra thing, since Hinata is from the Hyuuga clan, it should already be ingrained in her mind and body how to expell chakra from various parts of her body. Wow, that sounded so wrong. Anyways, since she trains with Gentle Fist style, she already knows how to produce chakra in accurate shapes from her hand, as Iruka was demonstrating.

The Uchihas are waaay behind.

Reviews (and flames) are appreciat--er,_ wanted_, even if it's something like, 'this is cute' or 'this sucks'.

Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**miikka-xx: **Hooray! We're at Chapter 3! WOO-HOO! I didn't think people would like this as much as I do and they don't. THEY LIKE IT BETTER. xDD

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto. If I did, no attractive male character would be wearing a shirt. Or clothes for that matter.  
**Title:** It's a Kid Thing  
**Rating: **K+  
**Pairings: **SasuHina (duh); one-sided SakuSasu, NaruSaku, InoSasu and HinaNaru (also duh)  
**Words:** 1106 for this chapter.  
**Warnings: **Naruto makes an appearance. FINALLY. Slight _Sasuke _bashing (from Naruto xD). Er, not beta'd.

-X-

Sasuke's a pompous ass and Hinata doesn't know it. Unrequited SasuHina.

-x-

Month 4, week 4.

Naruto talking to Hinata in the morning when Sasuke came to school was like a punch in the stomach for him.

__

"Get away from her!"

Thank god Yamanaka's fangirl scream had drowned anything after "Get away", or else he would've had to confront Hinata about his outburst. Well, she would eventually corner him and ask him 'why' in that deceptively soft voice of hers and he would spill everything because she had that odd effect on people.

The feeling that they could tell her theirdeepest, most disgusting secret and she would smile and crinkle her eyes before shuffling away without a sound and no one would ever find out and you'd feel so good about just spilling everything out loud instead of keeping it bottled up inside. Itachi-aniki had mentioned she could go into professional counselling for jounins and ANBU ninjas. He said that if you ever killed someone and felt bad, there were always these special people you could talk to. They could make you feel better like only mama could, without any medicine or pills.

But back to the topic, upperclassmen seemed to be dropping down from the other classes to see Sasuke's class too. Like the outspoken Tenten who stood up for anything she believed in and the quiet Neji who would sometimes pass by at lunch and have whispered conversations with his cousin. This always caused an unknown feeling to blossom in the pit of his stomach and clench his heart tightly, causing a gleam of anger in his otherwise impassive coal-black eyes.

He had asked Itachi-aniki about it and all his brother had said was that Hyuuga wasn't a toy and that she was a person and he shouldn't force her to do things she didn't want to. Sasuke had no idea what aniki meant (more like, he denied it) and continued trying to press down the feeling that would pop up at the most unseeming moments.

He was totally broken out of his thoughts when he saw something familiar in Hinata's acting. She was red and her lips were parted, her hands were fumbling with the hem of her long kimono sleeves. Her eyes darted up and down a few times and before he knew it, Sasuke was holding Hinata's unconscious, warm body against his own.

"Hyuuga?" Hinata gave a soft moan but nothing more. She had fainted. Naruto looked freaked out.

"Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!" he yelled, "Oh no! Idiot, what did you do now, Sasuke?" The Uchiha looked affronted.

"Me?" scowled the boy, "This is all your fault, dope! Move!" And he picked her up bridal style, walking swiftly into the school to the nurse's office.

"How's it _my_fault!" shouted Naruto from behind him, "_You're_the one who's always forcing Hinata to be partners with you all the time! You don't even let her talk with other people! _Teme!_"

-x-

Month 5, week 2.

Two weeks after fainting in front of Naruto and Hinata _still _couldn't look the blonde in the face. Though one partner activity happened and Naruto had actually bothered searching her out and being her partner. She was surprised that the Uchiha had only sat rather depressedly in his seat, his black eyes trailing sadly on her kimono hem that was swept away from his gaze.

She also wondered why Iruka suddenly had so many activitites with partners and why she was walking toward Sasuke and tugging on his shirt sleeve and pulling him away from the crowd of fangirls and why he was following her to the two empty desks and why the _heck _she was telling Iruka-sensei they were partners.

Then Sasuke shot her an honest-to-goodness smile and she knew why.

-x-

Month 6, week 1.

Sasuke saw the gender-confused idiot sneer at him as he continued his and Hinata's whispered conversation. Sasuke stood a few feet away from hearing range, leaning casually (and as coolly as a six-year-old could) against the tree trunk, waiting for Hinata to come eat lunch with him.

Hinata gave a gasp and her brow furrowed. She began to tear up but Neji gave a sharp 'Hinata-sama' and she sucked in her breath and looked at her cousin fully in the face. They began to talk with a certain urgency until the girl broke down and Neji left, exasperated. Sasuke made a rude hand gesture he picked up from the dog-boy (Kito? No... Ki.. Kiba) to the long-haired boy's retreating back. He pushed off from the tree and walked as relaxed as he could but he was practically jogging to her hunched figure.

"Hyuuga, stop crying," sighed Sasuke, awkwardly patting her back. He leaned down on his haunches, eventually falling on his behind. Hinata sobbed harder and tucked her legs closer to herself.

"N-Neji-niisan..." she sniffed, "s-said that I-I couldn't t-talk w-with you a-anymore, U-U-Uchiha-san!"

That took a few moments to properly register into his head.

"...What?"

Hinata cried harder, leaving little time to suck back the oxygen in her lungs before gasping back out again.

"Hyuuga, p-please stop crying."

Hinata let out a heart-broken giggle as she saw tears run down Sasuke's face too.

And they cried together.

-x-

Month 7, week 3.

Almost two months.

No contact.

Sasuke felt more and more tired and sad. He missed her tugging softly at his sleeve when she wanted his attention. He missed the way her lavender eyes would crinkle when she smiled her secretive little grin like she knew something he didn't. The way her brows furrowed when she didn't understand and he would tiredly (happily) explain it to her until her face lit up with understanding.

But what he missed the most... what he missed the most was when she was distracted and 'Sasuke' would slip from her lips without the wanting and screeching of his fangirls. And she would blush and say sorry and he would say 'Hinata' and then they would both be red, in a fit of giggles.

In short, he missed Hyuuga Hinata. Alot.

-x-

Month 8, week 1.

Hinata sometimes wondered how her school year would've been if Sasuke hadn't been there. Would she have understood all those complicated theories about chakra or have learned all those handsigns in just one class? Who would've been her partner if he wasn't there? Naruto? Sakura? Who would've given her a lunch when she had dropped hers?

Who would've took her arm and led her to the empty desks? And who would've laughed and cried and blushed and called each other their actual name without honorifics or politeness?

And she knows that she is happy that Sasuke is here.

-X-

A bit short yes, but the end is nearing. Wow, this'll be like... 5 chapters long. That's... long for a procratinator like me.

As far as reviews go...

I WANT THEM.

Wow, that sounded desperate. But I really like them and appreciate what you think of this story. It could be a short, 'this is cute' or 'this sucks' or a big paragraph long entry on how life sucks and you need to rant but in the end, you liked/hated it.

I love you guys for encouraging me with your positive reinforcement. THANK YOU SO MUCH!


	4. Chapter 4

**miikka-xx: **Alright, this is probably the third or second last chapter. Just warning you! Hope you've enjoyed the "let's be friends" arc of the story because now we're moving on to the "let's be something more" arc.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, no attractive male character would be wearing a shirt. Or clothes for that matter.  
**Title:** It's a Kid Thing  
**Rating: **K+  
**Pairings: **SasuHina (duh); one-sided SakuSasu, NaruSaku, InoSasu and HinaNaru (also duh)  
**Words:** 1747 for this chapter.  
**Warnings: **OOCness! YES. THAT'S RIGHT. We're hitting the "character development" parts. Because of that, they will act different. Well, Sasuke will because now he won't have a stick up his ass anymore.

-X-

Sasuke's a pompous ass and Hinata doesn't know it. Unrequited SasuHina.

-x-

Month 8, week 4.

It was almost the start of the last month before a two month break for summer.

And Sasuke was feeling abit rebellious.

"Hinata."

Said girl almost screamed had she not been concentrating so hard on reading her Academy notes for the upcoming exams the next month. The exams were really just simple multiple choice tests reviewing what they had learned such as different combination of handsigns, amount of chakra needed for certain jutsus and different fighting techniques (taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjustsu). They were marked seperate than the overall report card marks, allowing even supposed failure ninjas (like the crazy eyebrows kid) could pass the class.

But back to the impending problem of Sasuke calling her name:

"Er..." How was she supposed to respond to this?

"Hinata..." sighed Sasuke, plopping down in the seat beside her (he had pulled away the kid who was sitting here first) and leaning close to her so his nose almost touched her cheek.

She was facing her desk, her eyes glued to the croll unraveled on the flat surface. Sasuke, however, sat backwards in his chair facing her, balancing his chin on the back seat as he peered at her face.

"Er, um, hi, U-Uchiha-san," Hinata murmured. Hadn't she told him that she wasn't supposed to talk to him anymore? That he was a 'genetic hiccup' of the Hyuuga family (whatever _that_ meant as she had never bothered asking) and associating with him would be 'demeaning' (still using the big words)?

"You could call me Sasuke," suggested the boy casually, leaning on his arm.

"H-Hai... s-sorry, S-S-Sasuke," she murmured again, blushing.

Sasuke was inwardly thrilled. Hinata was talking to him again! This was great! He could go on forever and ever talking to her, to hear her stutter and his name on her lips without fangirlish zeal. He liked it this way and wanted to be like this for eternity. He pressed his nose against her cheek in a doggish gesture of affection; she smelt of soil and daisies. Hinata went instantly red, her hands shaking; she would faint, she knew she would faint if he didn't pull away right _now_. Sasuke, thankfully, did just that. As for witnesses, fortunately, they were seated in the back row, and hardly anybody looked at the people who sat way back there.

"I just wanted to ask if you needed help," Sasuke offered, "With all of those notes, you know." Hinata blushed an ever deeper shade of red in embarassment and nodded.

"I-I would l-li-like that... S-Sa-Sasuke..." And she smiled, and her eyes crinkled at the sides and Sasuke felt like a big, melting pool of Uchiha goo.

He would have to ask Itachi-aniki what was wrong with him.

-x-

Month 9, week 2.

One more week! One more week! Till this hell of waking up early, doing pointless exercises and listening to boring lectures was over! And put his big plan into motion! Not that he told Hinata anything about it. It was a surprise... just for her...

Sasuke fidgeted in his desk, chewing on the top of his pencil since he was already done his test on handsigns. Multiple choice tests always were the easiest. He glanced Hinata who had a pleased smile on her face because, he knew, that she actually understood the questions and pictures and would probably get a nice mark to show to her father.

Speaking of Hinata's father, he hadn't heard much about him, except that he was tall, scary and everything-Hyuuga. Well, if he was everything-Hyuuga, why was he scary? Hinata was nice, and that weird Neji kid was pretty nice to her, he only got upset when she got upset. But this plan required him to talk to Hinata's father. Scary or not, he would have to talk to Sasuke and agree to his plan!

Hinata circled the letters with an odd sort of confidence that she never had ever really felt before. Maybe, by studying with Sasuke, she knew all the answers. Oh, she hoped her father would be pleased at her handsign knowledge. She had even learned how to do a semi-decent Sasuke-henge, ignoring the part about his gray eyes and square-cut bangs.

Handing the completed paper to Iruka-sensei, she leaned back in her chair with relief and looked Sasuke. A few moments and he glanced back and they shared a secret smile and small wave. Sasuke was a good friend. She hoped they could be together forever. Maybe, one day, she could make him like Naruto and they could be best friends for the rest of their lives.

What a big, fat 'maybe' _that_ was.

-x-

Month 9, week 3.

This was it. This was the day. Sasuke sucked in a deep breath, tuning out Iruka-sensei's 'congratulations' for everybody passing their first year at the Academy. Soon, the bell would ring, they would grab their bags (since they had done so many projects that they had glued them on scrolls and stuffed them in bags) and leave until two months later.

Just as he thought, two minutes later, the bell started to scream shrilly and a moment of organized chaos erupted within the classroom. Hinata stayed a bit behind the rest of the kids that were stampeding towards the door. Sasuke picked his small black backpack, slung it over one shoulder and walked up to the quiet girl.

"I'll walk you home," he offered as nicely as Uchiha's could (with a smirk and a mischievous gleam in their eyes).

"Er... ah, okay..." Hinata mumbled shyly. No one had ever offered _that_ before. She slung her messenger over one shoulder, looking a bit off as modern and tradition clashed (wearing a kimono and a bag were a bit odd) and followed the Uchiha boy out.

The summer sun gleamed brightly in their eyes, warming them both up.

"So, er, where's your house?" asked Sasuke awkwardly, he had never actually walked a girl home (they'd usually just grab his arm and race to the girl's house) and this was Hinata, and whether he liked it or not, he wanted to impress her.

"You g-go down th-that street and p-p-past--" Hinata mumbled, not used to knowing things that Sasuke didn't.

"You know, why don't you lead the way and I'll follow," suggested Sasuke, a bit irritated at himself for not having figured this part of his plan out.

"Y-Yeah, I'll d-do that..." sighed the girl in relief as she adjusted her bag and started walking. The Uchiha boy, as promised, followed.

-x-

The compound was huge. The compound was beyond huge. It was... It was... really, really, really big in Sasuke's limited vocabulary. It was a usual traditional house with the sliding doors and the paper walls. The Hyuuga main family members looked like ghosts, gliding in their white kimonos and haoris. Hinata had told him that they were walking and the soft swish swish sounds was from the kimono hem that brushed the floor and hid their feet as they walked.

The cursed or caged or branch family members contrasted greatly, taking firm, controlled steps in their pitch black clothes, their foreheads bandaged or hidden by their headbands. Hinata had also said that they had to dress and walk in such a way that others knew of their power and did not threaten the main family that these men (and woman) protected.

Sasuke understood this concept, the branch protecting the more important main family members but it irked him. To protect and to be protected. Something was not right. The Uchihas did not have such rules, relying on themselves for protection. They did not need the aid of someone lower than them. Work alone or don't work at all. That was the Uchiha way.

He wondered with his plan... could he _change_ that? Him, second in line for a Head Of Clan title that he would never get? He could always try.

"A-Ah... thank you S-S-Sasuke... f-for walking me home!" smiled Hinata, as she gave a small wave and started down the path to the front door.

"Hi-Hinata!" started Sasuke, being jerked out of his thoughts, "Er, could I come inside? I-I, um, I wanna give you something?" He always did suck at lying. Stupid, stupid Sasuke. Did he study this part of his plan: "How to Get into Hinata's House (That's Frickin' Huge)"? Of course not! Stupid, stupid Sasuke!

"Oh, um, o-okay," blinked the girl, confused.

Thank god Hinata was a sucky lie detector.

-x-

"Where's your dad?" asked Sasuke innocently. Well, er, as innocently as an Uchiha could (which wasn't much but thank god for Hinata's obliviousness as well).

Hinata froze mid-step and swallowed.

"H-H-He's p-pro-probably in his r-room," she squeaked out, her stutters increasing dramatically. Was she _scared_ of her father? Not that he should be talking himself, 'Fugaku-sama' was was a bit intimidating himself.

"Can I drop by and say 'hi'?" Hinata's eyes widened almost comically.

"W-W-W-What!?"

"I wanna say 'hi'!" grinned Sasuke. Hinata looked like she was about to faint but the drilled in politeness in every bone in her body protested.

He had walked her all the way to her house, even walked her to the front door, had gotten her something that he was later gonna give her and his only request was to see her dad? She guessed she could grant him that one request.

"Um, uh, okay... l-let's go..." She tugged on his sleeve and let the way down numerous halls, past so many doors that Sasuke was getting vaguely dizzy and up and down staircases.

If the Hyuuga compound looked huge on the outside, it was probably double the size _inside_.

-x-

The door slid easily under Hinata's trembling hand as she shuffled inside.

"F-F-Father?" she said, staring intently at her feet. Hiashi glided out from the shadows, rings around his clear, white eyes and his hair hanging limply on his shoulder.

"Yes, Hinata?" he murmured.

"M-My... friend w-wanted to s-s-say 'hi'," she mumbled, realizing how stupid it sounded to her. Sasuke took the cue and came to her side.

"Hyuuga Hiashi, I, er, presume?" he asked as professionaly as he could (he had practiced that one line many times in front of his mirror). The elder raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"I'm Sasuke," grinned the boy, this was the final part of the plan! The request.

To stay with Hinata... forever.

"May I marry Hinata?"

-x-

Okay, before you start pounding me with "OMG, HE'S SO OOC!" or "HOW CLICHE! I TOTALLY SAW THAT COMING!".

I know.

The OOCness I tried to make gradual, making Sasuke warm up to Hinata so much his possessiveness increases to the point of he just wants to keep her forever. I hope I didn't kill anything. This was the only way I could see a six year old think of 'keeping' a person. Marriage. I doubt kidnapping would ever cross Sasuke's mind until he drowns in Uchiha angst.

Many of you have been asking if they'll stay kids till the end or have a fast forward into the future kind of moment. I'm not revealing anything. Everything will be over when it's over.

REVIEWS! REVIEWERS! MY GOSH! THANK YOU! Everytime I see your reviews, I re-read the next chapter over and over to make it perfect for you guys! You guys are absolutely WONDERFUL! Your encouragement makes my day! I'd LOVE having more reviews! Thank you SO SO much!


	5. Chapter 5

**miikka-xx: **The END. Yes, that's right, you guys. It's over. Their kiddie love story is over. Wow, what a ride, in 5 short weeks with awesome encouragement and so much cuteness, you'd probably die from cavities, my first multi-chaptered fic. OVER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOU GUYS, FOR STICKING WITH ME THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, no attractive male character would be wearing a shirt. Or clothes for that matter.  
**Title:** It's a Kid Thing  
**Rating: **K+  
**Pairings: **SasuHina (duh); one-sided SakuSasu, NaruSaku, InoSasu and HinaNaru (also duh)  
**Words:** 2,991 for this chapter.  
**Warnings**: OOCness, questionable motives and slight depressing feelings. 'Cause, you know, it's over.

-X-

Sasuke's a pompous ass and Hinata doesn't know it. Unrequited SasuHina.

-x-

Hinata forgot how to breath.

The method of breathing, of sucking in air and exhaling it out was totally wiped from her mind. This is what Sasuke wanted to give her? A _marriage proposal?!_ Her world was spinning right now. Tilting dangerously on its axis. What about Naruto?! What about _Naruto!?_

"Pardon?" breathed Hiashi, staring at the small 6 year old in front of him. He wanted _what_ of his daughter?

"I wanna marry Hinata, your daughter," said Sasuke simply, as if it was the most understandable thing in the world.

"Exactly what is your age and why?"

"I'm six years old," and in Sasuke's opinion, that was old enough, "and I want to be with Hinata forever." Hiashi felt an extremely strong headache coming on.

"Hinata, tell the maid to bring some sake," he ordered. Hinata bowed meekly before turning her back and stepping out of the room. The door slid shut behind her with a dull _clack_.

"So, is that a yes or a no?" Sasuke asked impatiently. He was feeling a bit vulnerable without his (hopefully) future wife's comforting presence around.

"Sasuke, that _is_ your name, right?" it sounded a bit familiar, thought Hiashi, "6 year olds cannot get married. Come back when your 18."

"_Eighteen?_" screeched the boy, "_That_ long?! Can Hinata wait that long?!"

"Hinata can wait as long as I tell her," answered the elder calmly. Sasuke shifted his feet.

"Well, _I_ can't. Hinata likes someone else," Hiashi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh?"

"Yes, a blonde-haired kid. Joke of a ninja. Er..." Sasuke swallowed, was he going to blow his chances with this? "She likes an Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiashi tilted his head towards the young boy, "And you are better than this 'joke of a ninja' how?" Sasuke puffed up his chest and gave the older one an imploring look.

"Well, first off, I'm at the top of every class, the number one. I'm rich and Hinata probably loves me too. But, most impressive of all, _I_ am an _Uchiha_."

"An _Uchiha_?" repeated the Hyuuga slowly. Uchiha Sasuke, it rang a bell. Well, it smashed the bell, seeing as the name belonged to their second heir who was standing here in his home asking for a _Hyuuga _fiancé. Generations of late Uchiha must've been rolling in their graves right now, mused Hiashi. Well, if a six year old could deliver a marriage proposal, he could probably answer the questions reserved for a fiancé.

"I will ask you now, Uchiha Sasuke, of your dreams, your goals."

The next minute was long, Hinata had slowly slid into the room with a tray of sake and one sole cup. Sasuke answered carefully, his words drawn out by long pauses, reassured with Hinata's presence beside him. He could hear her breathing, her steady control of inhalations and exhalations. The way her chest rose and fell with a steady beat. The way her long, dark eyelashes closed and opened after each steady breath.

He wanted to be with her forever.

"My dream is simple, Hiashi-sama. To be Hinata's husband," stated the boy clearly, his mind was unfogged; perfect, he could do this, "And my goal, my goal is also simple. To beat my genius brother, Itachi Uchiha, and become the greatest ninja ever lived."

Hiashi closed his eyes and sat, feet tucked neatly underneath him as he poured himself a cup of sake. Seconds passed by with tension in the air. Was this is it? All he needed was a yes or a no. That's all Sasuke needed.

Hinata watched her fingers fiddle endlessly with the hem of her sleeve and waited. Married... She had always imagined living in a happy little house, with herself in the kitchen stirring the rice while her husband wrapped his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder and they would smile and talk. Before now, before Sasuke even, she had fantasized this _husband_ to be like Neji-nii-san, proud and protective, or an older Naruto, broad, cute and eternally cheerful but now...

She could see black hair tickling her cheek, the mischievous glean in dark eyes that she would spot from the corner of her eye. The arms that would tighten when her hand would skim dangerously close to the hot stove or the quiet laugh when she, perplexed by his close presence, would accidentally toss in too much of an ingredient or burn the rice.

So while she waited in the cold room, her father across from her sipping sake calmly, one of her hands closed around the hem of Sasuke's sleeve and she nodded slightly at him. The boy grasped a clump of her longer sleeve and gave a small smile before facing her father again, straight-backed and stone-faced.

He could do this.

-x-

He coud hear their breathing if he concentrated hard enough. The slow hiss of air that exhaled through their noses, the rustle of clothes... Hiashi always was proud of how... perceptive he was. How he noticed the small things; the quickening of a breath, the eager twitch, a flicker of the eyes.

He could see nothing at the moment. The Uchiha had done nothing to show his lies. No rolling of eyes, no slowing or quickening his breathing, no impulsive twitch from his fingers that were tightly wrapped around the sleeve of his daughter's kimono sleeve. He was telling the truth. His family had not put him up to this. In fact, it was his family who had implored Hiashi to ban his daughter from making contact with their beloved little one.

Yet here was their '_beloved little one_', sitting in front of him, in the middle of the Hyuuga manor, asking for something so precious and valuable that could only be the property of one man and one man only. And it couldn't be Hiashi. The tangy taste of sake lingered on his tongue as he snappd from one idea to another in his head, thinking future possibilities. He could do so much with a Uchiha-Hyuuga union. But the Uchiha would never approve, yet this was only a minor setback, as he delved more into the situation at hand.

"Sasuke, correct?" He pronounced the words slowly, feeling the form on his tongue. The boy nodded once.

"There is a contract in my sleeve," indeed, there was, "that will permit you to marry my daughter..." Hiashi breathed in deep, tucking his hand in the opposite sleeve to feel the paper, "However!"

There! A muffled groan, a flash of anger and impatience. Oh, how the boy must care for his beloved. Hinata, on the other hand, clutched so tightly the hem of her probable new husband, her knuckles turned dangerously white.

"However?" repeated Sasuke tightly. If it wasn't for Hinata clinging onto him, he would've flung himself at the dangling sleeve for the contract.

"However, the two of you must have no contact until Hinata has turned eighteen."

There, he said it. The fated sentence. Slowly, Hiashi slid the contract out in front of them and whipped out a kunai. He placed it on the tatami mat and rested the kunai on top of it. Sasuke and Hinata both knew the purpose of the kunai, to sign the contract with blood. Blood, not signatures, was the proof of promise between ninjas. If there was one thing that couldn't be duplicated it was DNA. After the purpose of the contract would come, Hiashi would send it off to a personal medic or scientist and they would match the DNA from the blood on the paper to the person. Supervised by the head of the house, it was practically fool proof. Unless some ninja came crashing down the roof and snatched it away, but that was honestly unlikely considering the guards posted everywhere.

Sasuke's hand, the boy realised, was shaking. Sasuke had never seen his hand tremble and shake from nervousness and tension. If anything, they always shook from either fatigue or immense pain. Hinata's hand that clenched his sleeve loosened and the pale digits crawled slowly, but surely onto Sasuke's hand that held her sleeve. She glided her palm softly over his white, trembling knuckles. The boy sensed her want and grabbed her hand, threading his small fingers between hers. His palm was sweaty but hers was dry and cool. Hinata herself looked utterly calm about the whole situation. As if she had retreated to some kind of obscure corner in her mind, her "happy place".

"What about Naruto?" he breathed, breaking the long silence as quietly as possible. Hinata inclined her head, staring at an indefinite spot on the tatami mats they sat on.

"I don't know," she admitted, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"...I.." Sasuke halted. If he said anymore, she'd probably start crying without stopping. Hinata tightened her grip on his hand.

"I really li-like him... b-but I really like... you too..."Her face was blank, only her lips were curved into some kind of broken-hearted smile. The boy forgot about Hiashi being there. The fact that some bedraggled man sitting in front of them with a contract and a heart-breaking condition engraved in it was absolutely wiped from his mind.

He pressed his nose against her cheek. Hinata turned slightly pink but nuzzled her cheek against his warm nose.

"Marry me." His eyelashes tickled her hairline and his breath felt hot against her skin. His voice was commanding, friendly and loving at the same time. An amazing feat for a six year old _Uchiha_. Sasuke pressed his lips against her cheek, repeating his order, "Marry me."

Hinata could never escape Sasuke. Never.

"Okay."

-x-

The signing of the contract was funny at best with Hinata screeching as her husband-to-be advanced the kunai onto her hand. Sasuke scrambling to get away as a former prim-and-proper girl gripped the kunai angrily with her tiny hands. After almost 15 minutes of struggling, screaming, giggling and bloodletting, the contract was signed. Hiashi swiftly rolled up the sheet, tucked the weapon away and left the room.

So there they were, in an unadorned room with nothing but tatami mats and pretty watercolors painted on the sliding doors. There were 3 bedrolls squished in a darkened corner, collecting dust, yet other than that, it was completely empty. A servant had quickly swept into the room, grabbed the tray with the sake and cup and also left, as fast as he came in. Sasuke fidgeted nervously on the floor, staring at anything _not-_Hinata.

"Now w-what?" mumbled Hinata, in a similar nervous state.

"A-Are you... angry with me?" asked Sasuke, "If you are... I'm sorry." The girl blinked in surprise at his apology.

"You.." started Hinata, fisting her kimono sleeves, "You... l-like me... so I'm n-not angry or u-upset."

God, she was a walking saint. Sasuke thanked the lord for Hinata's amazingly nice, forgiving nature yet, in return to her reply, he poked her. No, he _jabbed_ her with his finger on her arm.

"Wrong!" declared the Uchiha, "I don't like you!"

"Ow-- wha--?" cried Hinata, her eyes widening to an almost impossible size, "S-Sasuke doesn't like me?" Her voice was breathless. Sasuke waved his hand nonchalantly in the air.

"Of course not," replied the boy. Then he suddenly leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes glittering and a grin about to split his face.

"I love you."

-x-

After freaking out when Hinata passed out from embarassment, happiness and shock, Sasuke had woken her up with a few pokes to her cheeks. Hiashi soon returned, confirming that, yes, it was Sasuke's blood, not some imposter. He quickly sat them down again, laying out the contract. The blood had already dried a crusty maroon-brown color that looked amazingly revolting.

"The condition is no contact until you turn eighteen, since that is when you are elegible for marriage," started Hiashi promptly, "Are you following, Uchiha Sasuke?" The boy nodded swiftly, his eyes rapt and at attention. He explained, "That is to say, no talking, no touching, no _looking_ at each other for 12 years. _Twelve years_." Hiashi pronounced the words carefully letting the weight sink into their heads. Hinata's eyes were wide but a spark of determination glittered in her pale orbs; Sasuke's though were narrowed, his lips turned at the corners in a faint shadow of a scowl.

Hiashi Hyuuga breathed slowly and evenly, "If you are cast off from your family, become an ex-ninja or criminal, however, then the deal is off. It is recommended you do not speak of this to the rest of your family, for they may forcibly break the contract. You have signed this of your own free will, Hinata and me as witnesses and we will not tolerate _you_ yourself breaking this contract. The penalty is high, beware. Whether you change your mind or find a new belle-" Here, Sasuke sputtered in indignance, hah, like he'll actually _like_ another girl, much less _love_. "- you will marry Hinata regardless. All previous engagements shall be called off and you shall become Hinata's husband. This is definite unless you die or become one of the three I mentioned before."

The head of the Hyuuga house took a deep breath.

"Do you understand, Uchiha Sasuke?"

-x-

It was an awful lot of things to take in like not even looking at Hinata for 12 _years_ and making guesses like he'll marry another girl before Hinata. Pfft. Anyways, he had been prepared to be scared through the whole ordeal of dying if he broke the contract but in reality, it was okay. Sasuke liked to think he was prepared for anything, even in a fight. He could produce pretty powerful Katon Jutsus in dire need and clenched his teeth when Hiashi had nonchalantly passed over his death like it was an everyday thing. Like heck, he was gonna die before marrying his Hinata.

Hm, _his_ Hinata.

That sounded nice.

"Yes, I understand."

Hiashi closed his eyes and a ghost of a smile tugged at his tight lips.

"Then it is done."

-x-

His leaving was rather anti-climatic in hindsight. He had just made a vow on his life to marry their future heir and no one knew any better. The guards' white eyes passed over him like he was a speck of dust. The servants bowed low to the sight of Hinata shuffling in front of him, her pale clutching his own as she guided him through the maze of paper doors and seeing-through eyes. The elders smiled and nodded at them, the marked ones stopped and bowed their heads until their heiress passed them and the main members ghosted past them with their soft 'swish swish' of their kimono sweeping across the dark wood floorboards.

Yeah, it was pretty anti-climatic in all.

-x-

Hinata was almost shaking once they arrived at the main gates, the only others being the guards on the other side of the high, grated doors. The sun had begun it's blazing decent into death, it's reds and oranges spreading like wildfire over the horizon and illuminating the clouds into beautiful shades of pink, red and violet. The courtyard was deserted with no one in sight and the door to the house a few hundred feet away from them.

She replayed all that happened in that one evening. On the last day of school she got walked by a boy. After she got home, she got married with the boy. Later, she learned she could not even _look_ at the boy for twelve long years. And now, silhouetted by a magnificent sunset that colored the ever-darkening night with all it's dying might. It was fading fast and she was turned so that her back was turned to the gate and sunset and he in front of her.

It was now or never, she decided, clenching her fists. She knew he could not see her, could not notice the flaming determination in her eyes. All he could see was a dark, Hinata-shaped girl with glinting pale eyes.

-x-

Hiashi passed over the window after leaving the bedside of his beloved wife. She lay pale and sickly yet beamed with motherly pride as she gazed into the face of the sleeping baby cradled in her thin arms. The blankets lay crumpled around her body, revealing a bony frame that was left of her. A cup of steaming chamomile tea lay untouched on the side table by the bed and a folded, slightly crumpled scroll laying on it's side. A corner had dislodged itself and in the last, fierce rays of the sun revealed a smudge of dried blood on the paper.

The Lady Hyuuga did not notice the scroll or tea but the way her husband stood stock still in front of the window in her room.

"Anata," she called softly to her husband, who still stood there, "What do you see?"

Hiashi shifted then moved to the side.

"The future."

The Lady peered through the window yet only could see two small figures embracing tightly by the gate, silhouetted against sunfire and metal bars.

-x-

End Part 1

-x-

This is how the engagement of a Hyuuga and an Uchiha had started.

This has only happened once in long time past, when the 10th generation Hyuuga Lady had run away from the strict house with an unknown man, his hair and eyes as dark and deep as the night. Soon, with money accumulated by the man and the ex-Lady, they started a family, which soon led to a clan.

That clan, for the preferance of their Lady's vast collection of fans, was named 'Uchiha'. It is said almost no one had seen the face of the Lady, ever hidden by dark hair and fans but rumours pass, even in the now-present Hyuuga house, that she was the stunning image of their 32nd small heiress, Hyuuga Hinata.

-x-

FIN.

-x-

Wow, it's done you guys. A-All done... I, uh, wow... But onto more important things:

THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWERS FOR ALL THE GREAT SUPPORT AND LOVE:

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Whew, that's a long list. YOU GUYS MADE WRTING THIS WHOLE THING WORTH IT! THANKS SO MUCH!

Any requests doing with little Sasuke or Hinata are totally welcome. The list of reviewers are only for the previous chapters. New reviewers are WELCOME!

I hope you enjoyed this ride with me. It was an absolute joy. A sequel you ask? Possible. ;)

-X-


End file.
